Monday July 25/10:30/Grande Ballroom

An Overview of Atmospheric General Circulation Models

Atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs) have proven useful in many applications. These include predicting the daily weather, interpreting satellite remote sensing observations and simulating the evolution of climate. GCMs have become general-purpose computational facilities, developed and used by a broad spectrum of scientists. From a mathematical perspective, GCMs present many challenges, including specialized requirements for numerical methods. GCMs have been used to explore how sensitive dependence on initial conditions limits the predictability of weather and are now being applied to study the predictability of climate. From a computer science viewpoint, GCMs place heavy burdens on networks, require advanced visualization tools, and stress database management systems. The speaker will present a tutorial survey of leading current GCM research issues, intended for a non-specialist audience.

Richard C. J. Somerville, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego

Since 1979, Richard Somerville has been Professor of Meteorology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He serves as Director of the Climate Research Division, a group of scientists studying the variability and predictability of the earth's climate.

Dr. Somerville's major research interest is the greenhouse effect and global climate change. He is a specialist in computer modeling of the climate system. His current research is aimed at improving understanding of the role of clouds in climate.

Dr. Somerville earned a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University in 1961 and a Ph.D. from New York University in 1966, both in meteorology. He has lectured extensively on climate change and has published more than 100 technical papers. His honors include election as a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Meteorological Society.